SHE WROTE: PRO Bootcamp on Collaboration 3

*Collaboration Lesson 3: Process*

Once you've found the perfect partner, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, you need to work out your process. That's pretty much going to depend on your previous process and your partner's previous process, but there are some things to keep in mind.
1. You're going to have to compromise. Try each other's processes and see which things you can combine and adapt. Realize that, yes, you will have to change. Sorry about that.
2. If you've chosen somebody with different skills from yours, teach each other. Stop to explain things, don't just say, "We don't do that in paranormal." One of the biggest benefits of collaboration is all the stuff you learn if you're open to change.
3. Use e-mail to brainstorm, even if you live next door to each other. Why? Because you'll have a written record which will be very, very valuable later on. Even if you brainstorm in person, go home and e-mail each other what you brainstormed. You're going to be amazed at how differently you each heard what was said.
4. Stay open-minded. No, really. Suggest things, discuss them, explain whatever isn't clear, and compromise. Pick your fights; if it's not something you care desperately about, let it go.
5. Give each other final say on your POV characters. If your partner says, "Gladys wouldn't talk like that," and Gladys is her character, you change Gladys or let her do it.

*Jenny:* Our process is pretty simple: We brainstorm out the plot (not simple) and then write the first draft scenes that are in our character's POV, zapping them back and forth as the first act (about 30,000 words) shapes up. Then we start reworking, trying to get a better grasp on our characters, talking about what's going on with them, who's thinking what, how each scene moves the story. And we do it all in e-mail. Because otherwise, we'd kill each other.

Bob: Such drama.
We bumbled our way through DON'T LOOK DOWN. Learning as we went. We exchanged probably 80 to 100 emails a day initially. That dropped to like 60 to 80 later on. Oh boy. We're still evolving. Right now we're still working out the bugs almost two years later and I imagine we'll still be working it out. But even writing on my own, each book is different. I'm a little leery of those authors who do it the same way, every time, although there are some very successful authors who do it the same way, every time.
I think in a collaboration you have to find what works for the two of you. Which
ain't much help, I know. The big thing is to keep an open mind. It's hard enough for one person to do that, never mind two. So one key is to keep the reacting to a minimum which is why email works really well. A fight in email is almost funny. Because when you really get going at it, you fall like four emails behind and then you lose track of what you're really fighting about.
Control your emotions as much as possible. Focus on the book, not ego. Focus on craft. Explain. Do what's best for the book. Stay as far apart as long as possible. Respect each other's strengths.



You each obviously went into this collaboration to learn something from the other and to change things up in your writing. Very cool. But do you ever fear there is a danger of influencing each other too much? That from collaborating long enough or efficiently enough together your two styles might become a homogenized or watered down blend? For that matter, should we expect to see Bob attempting to write the dreaded YEC in some of his future, solo projects? Or Jenny including expository narrative on Gatling guns in one of her own books? In other words, has this learning experience made you brave enough to tackle things you weren't willing to before, beyond what you knew you needed to change up? Even at a much lesser level with just a critiquing relationship, I struggle daily and with each book with how much I trust my own voice vs. how much credence I give another reader/author's quite worthy suggestions. It's interesting to hear how you two have muscled this out between you.


Bob:
No.
Ok. To expand. I think we make each other better writers. I really don't see any area where I'm watering down or getting worse. I do less infodump bit I wrote those books. I made a decision before I started writing with Jenny that I wouldn't write another Area 51 type series again, even though Dell wanted me to. So I'm heading in a new direction, even in my own books, and the collaboration only helps.

Jenny: I'd written fifteen books, Bob had done over thirty. If we didn't know who we were as writers by then, we weren't ever going to. In fact the real danger was knowing ourselves as writers too well. We forced each other out of our comfort zones and that was just good all around.. Bob did write YEC and I did get more action in my scenes, it was good for both of us. Far from watering down, I think we brought new stuff to each other, juiced up each other's writing. And we could do it because the other one, the expert on the new stuff we were trying, was there to catch the mistakes if we fell. I could write "Lucy picked up the gun," because I knew Bob would fix anything that wasn't right. However, under no circumstances will I ever do infodump. And neither will Bob.
Because I'm watching him.